Bowl
Dateca.1700
Label TextPoor scholar Zhang Sheng falls deeply in love with the daughter of a chief minister, Cui Yingying, in The West Chamber, a 14th-century romantic comedy by playwright Wang Shifu. She smiles at him from behind a high monastery wall here. Only the moon and constellations above witness their first, clandestine meeting. Their story ends happily—they survive bandit attacks and her mother’s disapproval given their different stations in life—but the tale was sometimes forbidden because its storyline included love outside of marriage.
Object number70.42
Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe, Feb. 17 - May 7, 2000.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Glaze, Pattern and Image: Decoration in Chinese Ceramics. Sept. 7 - Nov. 19, 2002.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Ceramics and Snuff Bottles from the Ming and Xing Dynasties, Jan. 14 - Apr. 2, 2006.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Conceal/Reveal, Dec. 20, 2014 - June 21, 2015.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view beginning July 23, 2022].Published ReferencesEmerson, Julie, Jennifer Chen, & Mimi Gardner Gates, "Porcelain Stories, From China to Europe", Seattle Art Museum, 2000, pg. 118Credit LineGift of Mrs. John C. Atwood, Jr.
Dimensions3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm), height
8 1/4 in. (21 cm), diameter
MediumPorcelain with underglaze-blue decoration
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